Apple confirms iPhone 5S battery defect, will replace for free

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Shortly after every new iPhone or iOS release, the Internet immediately explodes in reports of faulty WiFi signals or poor battery efficiency. That’s as sure as yearly iterative smartphone releases, and the Sun rising.

What makes the annual reports worse, is that even when your phone’s battery is actually fine, an influx of battery issue rumors makes you feel like your phone’s battery is on the fritz. This time around with the iPhone 5S, Apple has confirmed that, actually, some of the batteries do not work properly.

While that official confirmation likely makes you even more paranoid every time you see your phone’s meter drop a percentage, Apple has stated that the issue has only affected a very small number of devices, and is the result of a manufacturing defect. The defect manifests as either the 5S not being able to charge as quickly as it should, or reducing in battery life too fast.

Out of the nine million or so iPhone 5S and 5C smartphones that have been sold, it sounds as though only a few thousand are affected by the issue — a comparatively small number of devices.

If you are worried your brand new iPhone 5S might be affected, Apple will be contacting you and offering you a free replacement. If you don’t get a notice from Apple but are so very sure that your phone is experiencing battery issues, just take it to an Apple Store, complain a bit, and see where that leads.